Stiff test

Following last Saturday’s Homecoming upset of Minnesota, the Fighting Illini hot the road this weekend in hopes of winning a second consecutive Big Ten game for the first time in three seasons.

Hopes, yes. High hopes, probably not. Saturday’s road trip will be to Columbus, Ohio for a 7 p.m. date with the 13th-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes (ABC-TV).

“No question it’ll be a challenge, but we’re used to challenges,” Illinois coach Tim Beckman said at his weekly news conference.”We’ve played the likes of a Nebraska team that I think is good, a Wisconsin team that is very, very good. I think Minnesota is a very good team.”

Also at stake will be the Illibuck traveling trophy. The Buckeyes lead the Illibuck series 62-23-2. Overall, Ohio State leads the series with the Fighting Illini 66-30-4.

The Fighting Illini’s last victory over the Buckeyes was in 2007. It was an historic at Ohio Stadium. The Juice Williams-led Illini upset the No. 1-ranked Buckeyes 28-21 in front of 105,00 fans.

That Illini team went 9-3 during the regular season and went to the Rose Bowl. Even tough Southern Cal spanked the Illini in Pasadena, Ron Zook was crowned Coach of the Year and the future looked bright.

Times have changed.

Zook has been gone three seasons and the Illini have been mired in the lower echelons of the Big Ten for some time now.

This season’s Illini team is 4-4 and 1-3 in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes are 6-1 and 3-0 in the conference and are riding a 19-game regular season conference winning streak.

“It’s a typical Urban Meyer football team,” Beckman said of Ohio State. “A lot of the same things he’s done throughout a lot of his years as a head football coach. (They are) very talented, a lot of speed. Defensively, Luke (Fickell and Chris (Ash) are doing a great job with that football team. They’re very, very athletic on defense, more than I’ve seen them.”

The Buckeyes will be led on offense by redshirt freshman quarterback J.T. Barrett. He replaced starter Braxton Miller after Miller suffered an injury at the beginning of the season. Barrett leads the conference’s No. 3 offense. Barrett, only the 10th Buckeye to start as a freshman or sophomore, is 119 of 183 through the air for 21 touchdowns and 1,689 yards. Defensively, the Buckeyes are No. 4 in the conference.

The Illini are coming off an emotional victory over Minnesota. They jumped out to a 14-0 lead, fell behind, the rallied behind a fumble return for touchdown by V’Angelo Bentley and held on for the win over the No. 24-ranked Gophers. It was the first Illinois victory over a ranked team in three years.

Ohio State comes into the game on the heels of a 31-24 double-overtime victory at Penn State. The Buckeyes blew a 17-point lead before surviving in OT.

The Illini will likely go with Reilly O’Toole at quarterback in place of starter Wes Lunt, who is still recovering from a leg fracture. The team said prior to the Minnesota game that O’Toole and Aaron Bailey would both see action against the Gophers. But O’Toole played all but one series and was effective leading the team.

O’Toole was 14 for 21 through the air for and 118 yards with one touchdown against Minnesota. He ran for 59 yards on 17 carries and scored a touchdown.

“It will be difficult, for sure,” O’Toole said of facing the Buckeyes. “They’re a great team - very talented and well-coached. But if we play smart and take care of the ball, we’ll have a chance.”